


the rough path of being a leader

by GunpowderGelatin



Series: Genderbend Umbrella Academy (or how it could go so better if there were more girls) [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (Comics), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Childhood, Emotional Manipulation, Genderbending, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Klaus Hargreeves Deserves Better, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Major Character Injury, Mental Instability, Multi, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 10:03:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17979275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GunpowderGelatin/pseuds/GunpowderGelatin
Summary: In which One wants only the best for her siblings, and Four is a nuisance





	the rough path of being a leader

**Author's Note:**

> To explain:
> 
> Luther, Diego, Klaus and Five are girls.
> 
> Allison, Ben and Vanya are boys.
> 
> Sir Reginald, Mom and Pogo are still the same sex.
> 
> This ended up so differently that I thought it would, I'm surprised.
> 
> Please point errors. I'm not the best writer and I did not had the time to re-read this enough.
> 
> Please leave comments too. I'm not fueled by them, mind you, but it's cool to see people reading your work.

On the 12th hour of the first day of October 1989, 43 women around the world gave birth. That was unusual only in the fact that none of these women had been pregnant when the day first began.

Sir Reginald Hargreeves, eccentric billionaire and adventurer, resolved to locate and adopt as many of the children as possible.

He got seven of them.

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Number One was, for all her mighty facade and flowing blonde hair, no less broken than any of the Hargreeves.

She was the One, only because she did anything Dad told her too. She was also the first to discover her powers, at only six, as she threw a tantrum over Four's incessant chatter.

(she never liked Four, with her green eyes who saw everything, her big mouth that she couldn't keep shut and her freakiness)

One liked to reign on her siblings. Why didn't they hurry up and discovered their powers sooner? Couldn't they seen that Dad needed them? That the world needed them?

All started very early, as soon as they could walk and run, they could study at morning, and train at afternoon.

It was at afternoon, when everyone was eight, that One got rough. She knew she was strong, and maybe, maybe if she was just a little bit more rough, her siblings powers would wake up and be useful.

(she didn't like being alone, even though she liked Dad attention)

(she want her siblings to be as cool as her)

She was never rough with Three, though, he had a pretty face and the bruises always made him cry.

(Four and Seven also cried, but they both could handle themselves)

(also, Four was a nuisance that keep stealing Three from her, talking about pants and smokings and ties and the boyish things she liked)

(One didn't think it was appropriate)

(Three was hers)

(only hers)

Less than a week after she decided to take matters in her own hands, Number Two got mad and threw a knife she stole from the kitchen, cutting all her perfect hair.

(it grew back before the end of the year)

She wasn't even mad, but she threw a fit just so no one got suspicious. Internally, One was happy. The other girl powers startled because of her. Two knew that right? That probably means One should be the leader. Two would certainly approve.

(also, she was prettier than her siblings, with their dark hairs and gangly bodies)

(except Three, but Three was handsome in a way she would never be, because she wasn't a boy)

(she wasn't like Four)

Turns out, Two didn't approve, and the dark-haired girl was the first to notice what One was doing.

"One, you have to stop. I can handle it, but Four is so skinny she still uses clothes that we used two years ago. Seven is too small, he barely do training. Six is too preoccupied with Four to concentrate in you too."

Two didn't understand it was for the better.

(also, her powers were lame)

But she did brought an interesting point: Six would do anything for Four, One didn't blame him, as she would do anything for Three.

Two days later, One went way too far with Four in training. Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone: Activate both Four and Six.

(they would be so grateful, and One think she would do an amazing job leading everyone, even if their powers were lame like Two)

Six went crazy, totally out of control. As soon as Four's blood spilled onto the blue mats they used to train on, tentacles ripped from Six chest.

One thought it was kinda gross, but in a cool way.

(she knew she wished her siblings were cool like her, but why they had to be cooler than her?)

Dad could barely get Six to control himself. But in the end, both Four and Six went up to the infirmary, and nobody blamed One, except for a little slap on the wrist from her father about control.

But the blonde was happy. That, right there, was her leadership skills. She already activated two of her siblings. Only four to go, even if Seven and Four were the least promissory, and maybe she should just… push them to go away.

(she didn't do it because of Six)

(and Two, Two would know it wasn't by their own, her eyes were in One until they left the training room that afternoon)

To dissipate any suspicions on her, she waited one whole month before making her next strike.

One used the time to think how to approach detached Five and how to activate Three without hurting him.

Since she couldn't go rough on Four anymore, One gave up on the girl. She wasn't superhero material anyway.

(One made a point on telling her so in their next training session, in a whisper as she fell again into the mat)

Also, Dad pulled Seven out of their training. Said he was useless in their private tries, so he must be ordinary.

One thought Dad was a really good man, because he let him stay even if he was useless. Maybe it was because he was quiet and was very good at following orders, playing his violin and being a assistant to Dad.

Maybe when he discovered Four was useless, he would throw her at an orphanage. Or kill her, because she couldn't tell anyone about the Academy and their powers and training.

Maybe he would make Four become an assistant to One. The blonde was pretty sure every leader had an assistant, and she was certain Four would be much less of a nuisance after some punches.

In the afternoon she decided to try and start provoking Five's powers, the girl did it for her, teleporting on breakfast to the fridge.

One was relieved, because she didn't think roughness would make the aloof girl do anything except from getting away from her.

But One was also scared, and grossed out. Grossed out because she never wanted to see Five naked, and that was a normal setting in their lifes now, since the girl couldn't take her clothes with her yet.

And scared because now that the girl did it all by herself, she wouldn't be in debt to One. And, okay, Two wasn't as grateful as she thought she would be, and Six probably wasn't even aware of the debt, but One knew. She knew and she could use it to assure her leadership if one of them try to claim her spot as One and Dad's favourite.

And Dad already was paying too much attention to Five. One could admit ther girl's powers were way cooler than hers, way cooler than anyone's until now.

Even if Five didn't look moved by the attention, she still preened everytime Dad said she was doing good. And she didn't join them in the morning anymore, but spent it sitting with Dad in the living room, while he teached her complicated math and science and physics.

One hated it, because while she was strong, she knew she wasn't an intellectual. Five was good at at math, Six loved to read, Seven played her violin like a master, Three was awesome at arts and (even) Four wrote like a possessed girl, her eyes distant as if she wasn't really in control of her body.

Only her and Two weren't good at any morning activity, the brawl of the group.

She was jealous, and couldn't do anything about it, which made her short-temper, shorter. She and Two fought so much they didn't even look at each other eyes anymore.

(it was all Two's fault anyway, One saved her from being sent away for her uselessness, and that's how Two paid her? Watching her every move, even if she was just trying to help them)

It was in one of the biggest and more tempestuous fight that Three powers started showing. One was about to throw Two into the glass cabinet, when his sweet voice interrupted them.

(One wasn't happy that Two defended stupid Four, when One went to confront her about why she and Three spent last morning studying together)

"I heard a rumour you two stopped fighting, and when I look again, you're fighting?"

They stopped fighting immediately.

One was proud, and not even jealous, even if Dad stopped to spend even more time with her to train Three.

She was sad though, that she couldn't pass more time with the boy, and took to torment Four even more.

(it was her fault, she should stop hogging Three's time. If she wanted to talk about boyish things, why didn't her spend all her time with Six? He was a boy too)

(also, she never did it if Pogo or Six were there)

Four didn't replied, or did anything to get back to her. One thought it was because Four knew that she was an useless girl, and deserved it for being a waste of space.

(One told her that too, when nobody was looking and they were assigned together an research on historical people)

(she made Four do everything alone, because she was useless to anything else, so she must pull her weight someway)

(also One shouldn't be doing small things, she was their leader)

So, now, One, Two, Three, Five and Six all had their powers. One thought it was perfect, all the good superhero groups in the comics had five people.

Four didn't show any progress, and One was surprised Dad didn't get rid of her yet. She was clearly useless, clearly just ordinary like Seven.

Not all the forty-three children could be special, or they would be a bigger number. Because anyone that discovered their powers out of the Academy would immediately go there, like Dad said. The Academy was the best.

So Four was basically free game, right? If she was useless for anything, she could at least help One with her stress levels. It was only fair.

They were send in their first mission, at a bank, and didn't think more about it. Four and Seven weren't between them in the press conference, or next to them in anyway.

Even if Dad didn't pulled Four off training, it was clear to One that was just a formality by now, mostly because Six couldn't barely control himself without the girl there to help him.

One month passed, and other, and one more. When One looked at the calendar again, she was surprised to find that one whole year had passed. Between their tight schedules, it was difficult to notice the time passing.

In that specific day, she followed her routine perfectly, taking good care of her hair and doing her push-ups, putting her mask as soon as the alarm went off.

Instead of joining at her siblings chaos (One was always on time), she went to do her favourite pastime, to relax before a fight: See Four.

Four was always in her room, doing something mundane and equally dumb, or bothering the others. She was clearly not special, so why was her always mingling with them? Why she didn't join Number Seven? They could be a couple of completely normal people, not distracting the true heros.

But the others had a certain soft spot for her (maybe because she was as stupid as a pet), and amused her. Specially Number Six and Number Two, and One was always scowling at them. Why would they prefer to spend time with an ordinary girl instead of training?

(it also hurt that they preferred a stupid mundane girl than herself, but maybe they resent her for being Dad's favourite)

(also for being their leader)

(maybe they wanted her spot as leader?)

(no, that's not possible)

(they should be grateful)

(it was Four putting ideas in their heads)

(that's why Three didn't spend a lot of time with him anymore too)

So One went, as always, to Four's room. Just in pretense of being a good sister, and giving her advice between bits of chit-chat.

"Maybe you shouldn't spend so much time with us… Two and Three are starting to complain."

"Dad don't like your clothes, you should use the uniform more."

"Pogo was complaining your essay was too small"

"Maybe you should leave the house more, you are looking pale. Six was preoccupied."

"Three was complaining she's having migraines these days. Maybe you should talk less."

And Four was so naive, so stupid, all big doe eyes, just listening. It was amazing for a variety of reasons. She could put Four in her place, and she listened to her. Actually listened.

She didn't, at the beginning. She was suspicious of the suddenly gentleness. But as the advice seemed to make people happier (they always had a bit of truth), she started listening more.

So One did what she had to do, and left for the mission.

She didn't expected what happened.

Six got injured.

Badly.

It was all a rush until they could be back at the Academy. Four was in the living room, and the book in her hands fell to floor with a bang when she saw Six, covered in blood.

One tried to approach her. Maybe this was the time to get more control over her, maybe alienate her from Six.

(make her believe it was her fault, her distracting Six during training made this happen)

As soon as the blonde took one step in her direction, the floor trembled. Objects around the living room started floating in the air, and dozens of blue-ish, transparent people started flicking in and out like lights everywhere.

They howled, and screamed, and they had gashes over their chests and bullet holes over their heads. Some were missings parts, and it all looked like a nightmare.

Number Two approached, pushing One to the side. She went willingly, still stunned. Four had powers?

She started Four powers! This was even better. If they could just stop her know, so One could talk to her. Maybe comfort her, even if that would be gross.

Three stopped her though, a harsh look in his face, and whispered, before letting her go and sitting in the couch, hugging and calming Four with Two.

"We all know what you're doing. Don't make me rumour you. Go away, One"

By the time everything become normal again, even Five had come to the sofa and had a protective hand in her sister shoulder.

(when did that happened?)

(was everyone against her?)

(was this a mutiny?)

(she knew Four was whispering behind her back in the willing ears of her jealous siblings)

(but she was their leader, they would never turn against her, they were just amusing Four)

It didn't last long though. Dad showed at the door, declaring Six would live. Then, he took Four with him, to training possibly.

One still hadn't left. What was she doing that was so wrong? Why were her siblings mad with her? She did nothing wrong! She just wanted to help them, to help Four, to make their lives better!

She helped them reach success! She was their leader, their saviour from getting thrown away! Was she wrong for wanting recognition? She just wanted a bit of gratitude! Two, Four, Six? They owned everything to her! If she didn't opened their eyes, they would be forever normal!

They wouldn't be superheros! And Three only got there because of her too! Just Five reached her powers alone, and that was because she had always been cold and aloof. Why they weren't on her back?

One huffed. Ungrateful siblings. They knew better than defy her, though.

(she was their leader)

(they were only sheep)

So she stomped to the stairs. Maybe she could talk to Four later. Unmade the damage her siblings words did to her. And Three, Three was a traitor and One would deal with him later.

(Three should be his prince, in a big castle waiting to be rescued)

(Three should only love her)

(they all should only love her)

(even Four)

(Four thought One didn't saw how her freaky eyes wondered between boys and girls)

(she was a freak)

(but Four should love her)

All the Hargreeves siblings were damaged, and being Reginald's favourite didn't make One less broken. If anything, it broke her in a whole another way, a way she wouldn't notice until it was too late.

Maybe it was already too late, thought Four, as she wrapped her arms around a recently woken up Six, and seeing One looking at her from across the room.

Maybe they already lost Number One.

But they recovered Number Seven. Repaired bridges and relationships. Maybe they could do the same to One.

Four didn't know, but she had more to full her time now. The ghosts wouldn't leave her alone. And she still woke up floating above her bed.

And that funny feeling she had when she saw cute girls was too similar to when she saw cute boys.

One was a task for other day.

For now, everything was good.

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